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Pearl
- Narrated by: Laura Brydon
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
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Pearl
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Summary
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023
Marianne is eight years old when her mother goes missing. Left behind with her baby brother and grieving father in a ramshackle house on the edge of a small village, she clings to the fragmented memories of her mother’s love; the smell of fresh herbs, the games they played, and the songs and stories of her childhood.
As time passes, Marianne struggles to adjust, fixated on her mother’s disappearance and the secrets she’s sure her father is keeping from her. Discovering a medieval poem called Pearl and trusting in its promise of consolation, Marianne sets out to make a visual illustration of it, a task that she returns to over and over but somehow never manages to complete.
Tormented by an unmarked gravestone in an abandoned chapel and the tidal pull of the river, her childhood home begins to crumble as the past leads her down a path of self-destruction. But can art heal Marianne? And will her own future as a mother help her find peace?
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What listeners say about Pearl
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-08-23
Raggle taggle
This took me back to my primary school days with all the folk songs we sang and rhymes I did with my mother. I liked the narrator who isn’t a well known actor for a change. This is Booker listed and it a shame it wasn’t on the women’s prize list. I hope to read the book once the library has it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Heather Nesom
- 27-12-23
Beautiful and tender
Beautiful narration of a tender tale of loss. The narrator’s voice seamlessly transitions from the protagonist as a child to an adult travelling through the ups and downs of life, a perfect transition that puts you in the heart of this character.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Llewellyn
- 18-06-24
Intricate storytelling with ocean-deep feeling
A beautifully performed reading of this detailed, woven story. The characters are gently realised until they feel full and alive, and the heartbreak throughout is compelling and moving. Thank you to both author and actor.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sally Margulies
- 22-10-23
An interesting & beautifully written book.
An unusual story, beautifully narrated by Laura Brydon.
Was mesmerised by the writing, and everything within the pages of this extraordinary book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 21-05-24
Pearl
This was a slow starter in which nothing seems to be happening, but keep listening,as the story gets continually better and better. Worth persevering. A quiet sad book but ultimately uplifting. It made me think.
I didn’t like the readers accent.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Manonim
- 01-09-24
A beautifully told tale of loss
A moving, engrossing and honest history of painful family loss that is beautifully written and perfectly narrated.
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